In general, a refrigerator is an apparatus that stores objects in a fresh state for a long period of time using cool air supplied into a storage compartment. The cool air supplied into the storage compartment is generated through heat exchange with a refrigerant. The cool air supplied into the storage compartment is uniformly distributed in the storage compartment by convection to store foods at desired temperature.
The storage compartment is defined in a main body forming the external appearance of the refrigerator. The storage compartment is open at the front thereof such that foods can be received through the opening. A door to open and close the storage compartment is mounted at the front of the storage compartment. The door is hinged to the main body to open and close the storage compartment.
Conventional refrigerators have a problem in that dew is formed at a home bar door due to temperature difference between a storage compartment of the refrigerator disposed inside the door and the outside of the refrigerator.
With change and improvement of dietary habits, such a refrigerator has gradually grown in size and becomes multifunctional. These days, many types of refrigerators having various structures designed for the user convenience are on the market. Recently, a refrigerator which is provided at a door with an additional home bar so as to allow foodstuffs such as beverages to be conveniently taken out of the refrigerator is gaining popularity.
The refrigerator including the home bar has a problem in that dew is formed at a home bar door due to temperature difference between a storage compartment of the refrigerator disposed inside the door and the outside of the refrigerator. In order to solve the problem, the home bar door is provided with a home bar heater.
However, when a gasket for shielding the inside of the home bar from the outside is disposed excessively close to a peripheral edge of a sealing component, the gasket is cooled due to cool air leaking through a space between the sealing component and the inside of the home bar door, thus causing formation of dew at the gasket.
In a case of a heater having the same quantity of heat (per unit time) throughout the length, when temperature difference is generated between peripheral regions of home bar door, a heat source is activated depending on the lowest temperature among those of the regions, thus causing energy waste.